


On the Wing

by mystiri1



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Wing Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystiri1/pseuds/mystiri1
Summary: Well, at least they'd stopped causing serious property damage.





	

 

It was easy to forget that Cloud was anything but just another fighter, sometimes. The glowing eyes were something that could be easily overlooked, especially with familiarity. Although he had a single, inexplicable black wing, he kept it tucked out of sight, so that most people would never even know it was there. Leon wasn't quite sure how he managed that, as it seemed to simply vanish, but maybe that was just something else that was odd about Cloud. And he didn't usually act different from anyone else, either.

He was quiet, a little moody. He'd let Aerith order him around in the kitchen or the garden - they all had a tendency to let her do that at times, because Aerith was good at orders that sounded like suggestions - and help out with restoration work as needed. That was usually what reminded Leon, because Cloud would be clearing away debris, and suddenly pick up a boulder that would otherwise take four or five men to shift.

That, and Sephiroth.

The Silver General showed no signs of going away anytime soon. Leon was sure he'd been killed at least a half dozen times now, but sooner or later, he'd reappear. And when he did - well, at least they'd stopped causing serious property damage.

It said something about just how frequent these occurrences were that Leon was learning to read the signs. It was sheer coincidence that he was looking in Cloud's direction when the blond fighter's head snapped up, and he started scanning the horizon, nostrils flaring as if scenting for something.

Leon began surreptitiously sending the other workers away. Just because there hadn't been any collateral damage lately, didn't mean he was willing to trust that there wouldn't be in the future. Unsurprisingly, Cloud didn't even notice.

There were only a few of them left when Aerith approached. "Leon!"

Leon turned, eyes widening in alarm.

"I brought you lu-"

There was a rushing sound behind him, and the sudden sharp clang of metal meeting metal, followed by what sounded like a snarl. He looked back over his shoulder as he grabbed Aerith's arm and started steering her away from the impending chaos. She was far more interested in watching.

"Oh, my," she said, eyes wide and a little admiring. Sephiroth and Cloud were fighting, close enough that it was as much a physical struggle as a clash of swords. Blades pressed against each other, each seeking to force the other back. Cloud's eyes looked brighter than normal, and his lips curled in a fierce grimace as he pressed hard. Leon wasn't sure if the faint growl he heard came from Cloud or Sephiroth.

Then Sephiroth sprang back, quite deliberately, so that Cloud staggered forward. The silver-haired warrior took to the air, and Cloud quickly followed. Leon breathed a sigh of relief as they climbed higher, swords still flashing as they continued their battle on the wing.

"It's like watching dragons," Aerith said, a little dreamily.

Leon choked, and whirled to stare at her. Did she mean what he- But she just looked at him innocently, and he decided she couldn't have known what she was implying.

"So shall we have lunch, then?"

Leon was still thinking about her remark later that night; or, to be more specific, he was remembering a field trip from his days as a cadet. His class had been bought along as support for a SeeD unit working along the edge of a mountain range.

_ "We do this every year," the instructor explained. "It's not complicated, and with any luck, we won't even have to engage any monsters, because most breeds of dragons are nearly extinct. Our only goal is to keep them from getting to near the villages, as they're very aggressive at this time of year." _

__

_ "Why is that?" asked a cadet, a dark-haired girl whose name Leon could no longer remember. _

__

_ The instructor grinned wickedly. "It's spring, that's why. The females fight the males to make them prove themselves strong enough to mate with. They don't want any weaklings fathering their brood." _ There had been a number of ribald jokes and heated faces in the discussion that followed. They hadn't fought any dragons that year, but Leon had been close enough to see a pair fight, just once. Dragons, it turned out, mated the same way they fought: on the wing.

He was reluctant to ask, but he suspected that certain genetically-altered warriors could probably boast the same.

Just then he heard the door open.

Cloud hesitated when he saw Leon still up. He looked a little battered, but no worse than any of the other times Leon had been awake to see his return. Thankfully, Leon was the only one who tended to keep such late hours.

"You'd better check those are gone before you come down to breakfast in the morning," Leon said, with a nod. "Otherwise the girls will be asking questions."

Cloud reached a hand towards his neck, then let it fall. It was decorated with a number of interesting bruises, and if Leon wasn't mistaken, there were telltale teeth-marks edging a few of them. He nodded, not the least bit self-conscious, and headed for the stairs.

Leon turned back to the paperwork he was sorting through, and shook his head. Some days it was easy to forget there was anything different about Cloud. Others, he reminded everybody.


End file.
